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Date of Last Review: 12/03/2023 Effective Date: 12/15/2023 Date of Next Review: 12/03/2027 RDA: SW22 Page 1 of 4 Families First Child Support Cooperation Policy 23.11 Effective: December 15, 2023 Introduction Caretakers of Families First assistance units must agree to cooperate with the IV-D Child Support Program and assign all court-ordered and voluntary child support payments to the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Failure to cooperate with the IV-D Child Support Program will result in the ineligibility of the entire assistance unit. Scope The purpose of this policy is to outline the requirements to cooperate with the IV-D Child Support Program as a way to promote parental responsibility and assist the caretaker in reaching self-sufficiency. Policy Child Support Cooperation 1. The caretaker must cooperate with the IV-D Child Support Program to: a. Identify the noncustodial parent(s); b. Establish paternity, if necessary; c. Locate the noncustodial parent(s); and/or d. Pursue court-ordered support for each assistance unit (AU) child. 2. Past, present, and future child support and spousal support payments received by the AU are assigned to the IV-D Child Support Program and are collected to reimburse the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) for the Families First benefits provided to the AU. 3. The child support cooperation requirements still apply if the Families First payment is not issued because it is less than ten dollars ($10) or is reduced to zero dollars ($0) because of a recoupment.